The mane six have a sleep over at the castle, where Spike decides to play a game that he came up with. They were at first confused about it, but when they learn about what they would do for a million bits might make them crazy.

I have a creeping suspicion that the castle is 'alive' in the same sense as the TARDIS, and can actually change its internal layout to protect its mistress. They will end up in a fight with the will of Castle Harmony.

Oh man, I can see this going horribly wrong for Dash and Pinkie in the most comical ways possible, with Twilight ending up having to rescue them from whatever weird hole/magical trap/hidden room of the Crystal Castle they manage to get stuck in

Spikey what are you doing here at this hour of the night? Pinkie and Rainbow are throwing a surprise party with Twilight and I've got a lot of work tomorrow can I stay here tonight? Sure Spikey Wikey No sleepy tonight if I have my way Wut?! I just don't know what went wrong should I get the Doctor? Oh Luna I don't think my little ponies would behave that way...A dragon? mmmmmm

So their going for the Anakin and Obi-Wan method of springing the trap to deal with it, a wise choice. I mean that actually, not sarcastically, by letting the poison take effect they create the illusion they've taken the bait so the aggressor doesn't know the plans already been somewhat compromised, so when the time to strike comes they won't be prepared for their own preparations.

Pinkie resumed her speech in a calm, carefree voice. “Anyway, since she came to Ponyville, Twilight has defeated a curiously large number of antagonists and therefore earned an equally large number of enemies.” Pinkie paused for a moment and turned her head toward a blank wall. “Seriously, what’s with that? Why weren’t there any evil villains running around before she showed up? It’s like they all decided to wait politely for us to retrieve the Elements of Harmony first so we would have an easy way to beat them. Can you imagine what would have happened if all our foes had shown up before we became friends with Twilight?”

hmmm...is that perhaps Pinkie breaking the 4th wall for another audience reading this story from another direction??

Yeah, I know, WE'RE reading this one from inside RD's head, at least for this chapter....but that other audience, maybe beyond that wall?

Pinkie did not seemed fazed by as minor an issue as the legality of abducting one of the rulers of Equestria. “Don’t worry, we obviously won’t do anything that could hurt her. She’s our friend, after all. We’ll just give her a couple books to read, and she won’t even care that we’ve locked her in some long-forgotten dungeon that will never, ever, ever see the light of day.”

Well, if THAT plan doesn't have Trollestia's hoofprints all over it, nothing does!

Wait...not noticing that Twilight was reading in the dark? by the light of her horn? the horn that was disabled by the poison joke? oh, but this is Rainbow...if it's not about something busting Mach 4, it's not on her radar. Carry on

thumbs at 21/0...so when should that Featured equation start kicking in?

*facepalm* Twilight you really need to deal with your "target fixation" (I hesitate to call it that as technically that is a term used for describing when in a dogfight a pilot becomes so focused on their target they lose focus of the rest of the battlefield) if you can be that easily smuggled out.

The two ponies headed toward the exit to Carousel Boutique. “This will remain a quiet joke among friends, and the law will never get involved,” Rarity assured her friend.

Rarity opened the front door and followed Fluttershy outside. And then she stopped short.

Directly in front of them were arrayed two battalions of royal guards, their armor gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun. Each guard stood at attention and held a spear at the ready. Every eye gleamed with fierce, disciplined anger. At the head of the army, the princesses of the sun and the moon stood tall, their unbridled fury evident as they spoke with Applejack and Spike.

“WHERE ARE THE CRIMINALS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH A HEINOUS ACT?” thundered Princess Luna. “WE SHALL BRING SWIFT JUDGMENT UPON THE GUILTY AND ANNIHILATE THEM COMPLETELY!”

*Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are being pursued by legions of Solar and Lunar guardsponies, led by both diarchs*

Rainbow Dash: "I sure wish the princess would let a few more ponies in on our little secret!"Pinkie Pie: "What secret?"Rainbow Dash: "That Celestia told you to kidnap Twilight to test out the guards' response to an attack on any of the princesses."Pinkie Pie: "She did!?"Rainbow Dash: "Wait! You told me Celestia set this up! "Pinkie Pie: "I did!?"Rainbow Dash: "Yes! You did! Back when we started this crazy stunt!"Pinkie Pie: "No, I didn't. That was Pinkamena who told you. I'd never do anything silly like kidnap Twilight! She's my friend. You know that! "Rainbow Dash: " .... .... .... oh, futa!"

A few moments later, Rainbow Dash landed in front of the door to Twilight’s cell. As quietly as she could, Dash cracked the door open and peered into the room. Yes, there was Twilight, curled up on a pillow and engrossed in her book. With a satisfied nod, Dash closed the door and backed away.

And Rainbow still not noticing the glow of her horn providing light with which to read by. Carry on!

7489423 Well... They were banished to pony hell for crimes they did commit. Such as kidnap a princess and cause a national panic. They actually are criminals who actually did commit treason, its just they felt that 'its just a prank' was an adequate defense. They only thing they didn't do was cause Twilight to disappear completely, but if something terrible happens in the process of you committing a crime, even if you didn't want it to happen or didn't mean to cause it, you are still liable for that misfortune, because if you hadn't created the bad situation in the first place things wouldn't have ever had a chance to spiral further out of control.

I would love it if Twilight comes back and everyone is relieved and has a huge party... except Rainbow and Pinkie who are left to 'sweat it out' in Tartarus for maybe a week or two before letting them out. To be sure they 'learned their lesson' because seriously don't fucking kidnap people to try and make a point.

7489562 Ugh I know some people have no sense of humor....no matter how many times you tell your boss it was just a prank to put viagra in his coffee he still fires you after you are scheduled to show up in court!